Thermostatically-controlled fluid mixing unit



Nov. 13, 1934. G. E. AMES THEHMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED FLUID MIXING UNITFiled July 3, 1933 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 13, 1934 rnERMosTA'rmALLY-ooNTaoLIIEn FLUIDMIXING UNIT George E. Ames, Oakland, Calif.,"assignor of onefourth toWilliam E. Joost, one-fourth to Leon A. Rice, and one-fourth to WilliamJ. Vaughan,

all of Oakland, Calif.

Application July 3, 1933; Serial No. 678,894

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a means by which liquids or gases supplied fromindependent sources and at different temperatures may be mixed fordispensing from a common orifice and at a selec- I tive temperature.

An object of the invention is to provide a means of the characterdescribed in'which fluid in any amount desired, and at any desiredtemperature within the range of the device, will be available .101 atthe common discharge orifice regardless of variations in'the pressure ofthe fluids supplied the device from the independent sources.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means of the characterdescribed, in which the .1 discharge of fluid from the device at atemperature exceeding that selected by the user cannot take place to anyappreciable extent should the temperature as well as the pressure ofthefiuid at either of the supply sources become materially 2..greater'than normal.

'A further object of the invention is to provide a unit of the characterdescribed which will be extremely sensitive to variations in temperatureand pressure of the fluid therein and correspondingly active in thenecessary compensation 'for maintaining the selected conditions.

A still further object of the "invention is to provide a unit of thecharacter described "which will insure proper mixing of the'dilferentincom- Q in'g fluids and at the same time allow communication of thelatter with the thermostatic element only after complete'mixture thereof"has taken place. I

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the -foregoing, will be set forth int he followingdescription of the preferred form of the invention which is illustratedin the drawing accompanying and forming a part of the specification. Itis to be I'l understood, however, that variationsin the showing made bythe said drawing and description'may be adopted within the scope of theinvention 'as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing: 5 Figure 1 is a side view of the unit of myinvention with parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the :unit. Figure 3 is afragmentary front view of the unit. Figures 4 .and 5 are transversesectional views vv5! at the unit taken on the lines 4-4 .and 5-5 ofInthe embodiment of the invention illustrated, the 2 :is used inconnection with a hot water supply pipe 13 :and a cold water :ieedpiped. and $5 wlesigne'dtto' afiord :a supply of water of selectedtemperature from a common outlet 5 with any number of branches 6+.va1v.econtr lled 0. v otherwise. Preferably the unit comp i$ a as, ing 7having inlet connections 8' and .9 for. the hot and cold water pipes 3and, 51 respectively.

Fixed within the casing 'isia cylindrical sleeve or liner 12 having oneor more ports 1.3 i direct communication with the hot waterjinlet, andone ormore ports '14 inhcorrespondingassociation with the cold waterinlet. Mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder 12 is 'a sleeve '16having ports 17 and 18 approximately-of the. same size as and arrangedfor registration with theports 13 and 14 respectively. As will be clearfromFigs ure 2, the ports 17 and 118 are so located with respect .toeach other and with the ports 13 and 14 that whensthe sliding sleeve isin a position causing full registration of ports 13 and 17, the ports 14and 18 will .be completely out of registration, and conversely when theports "14 and 18 are in full registration, the ports 13 and '17 will belenti-rely out .of registration. Likewise,- the relationship of theports lSiSllChithfi/t when the sleeve is moved to .cause a-greater Lorlesser aber-r ration of one set of ports, the other setuof ports andprovides a chamber 19 wherein 'the streams of water from thedifferentinlets may be thor-v oughly mixed. Exit of thewater from thechamber '19 is through one or more openings 21 here shown formed in awall '22 of the casing, which serves-to separate the chamber from apassage '23 for the mixed water.

By means of a spring 24 the sliding sleeve is urged to assume theposition indicatedin Figure 2, that with the hot water ports' l'3 and'17 in full registration and the cold water ports completely closed.Preferably the movement of the sliding sleeve is limited so that in oneextreme position the ports will'be as just specified, and inv the otherextreme pos'ition the cold water ports will have moved to full openposition while the 'hot water ports are completely closed. A convenientmeansyof limiting the movement of the sleeve as aforesaid is by use ;of.azpin 26 fixed RE the sliding sleeve and engaging in a .slot ,27 in thefixed member .12.

:T'I'he positioning (of the slidable sleeve in :the cylinder is arran edto the dep ndent :on th t m- .perature :of the water contained thepassage .23., it being understood thatit isrfrom this passage that :thewater is ordinarily drawn off for consumption. Disposed within thepassage 23 and anchored at one end to the partition wall 22 is athermostatic element 28 which is here shown in the form of a tube andextends through the passage for aconsiderable length thereof. Theelement 28 has a relatively high coefficient of expansion and ispreferably formed of a material extremity of the rod and adjustablelorigitudi--' nally thereon is a member 32 which is "designed to engagea lever 33 fulcrumed for convenience on the post 31. The lever isengaged by the member intermediate theffulcrum point 34 and the end 35engageable with the sleeve, and in order that a slight movementof therod will effect a' more appreciable movement of. the sleeve the memberis designed to engage the lever much closer to the'point 34 than to theend 35. For a more effective distribution of the force from the rod tothe sleeve, .a duplicate of thelever 33 is provided for engagement withthe sleeve at a point diametrically opposed to the point engaged by theother.

The member 32 is here shown with a screwthreaded engagement with the rodso that rotation of the member on the rod will efiect the longitudinaladjustment .of the member thereon. By means of a lock-nut 36 or the likethe rod is secured to the tube in a manner preventing rotativedisplacement of the rod, and on the other 40 hand means manually.operable'and readily accessible to the user, are provided for efiectingrotation of the member 32. The latter means, as here shown, includes acrank or handle 37 fixed toa bevel gear'38 meshing. with a bevel gear 39formed as a part of member 32. It will nowbe clear that sincethe element28 is free to become extended or retracted at the end connected to therod; expansion or contraction of the element will'produce' acorresponding descent or ascent of the rod and accordingly the member32. 'Inthis way as the latter is drawn downwardly onuexpansion ofthe,element, the lever will be proportionally depressed by the member andthe slidable sleeve will be appropriately lowered to reduce the flow ofwater through the hot water ports and in like ratio increase the flowthrough the cold water ports. Likewise on temperature conditions inthe'passage becoming colder and thereby effecting a contraction of theelement the rodwill rise and thus cause a corresponding release on thelevers with the consequent elevation of the sleeve and a reduction andincrease of'the flow through the cold water and hot water portsrespectively. It may be here notedthat since the axial displacement ofthe rodis at most relatively small, the desired engagement, between thebevel gears will not be interfered with ."on said displacement.

I 'In order that the operator may readily select the temperature atwhich the water will be'dispensedf from the unit-an indicator'41 isfixed to the control handle 37 and is arranged for cooperation with adial 42 on which is delineated appropriate I matter such as hot, medium,cold; When the pointer is positioned opposite hot the member 32 willhave been adjusted to assume its most elevated position on the rod sothat regardless of the temperature of the water in passage 23 the sleevewill be positioned to cause full registration of the hot waterports andcomplete closure of the cold waterports. The device may be designed torender the sleeve at alltimes subject to the influence of the thereverthere may be dispensed without interruptemperature at which the waterissupplied. Thus evenif the water in passag :23 is com,-;

tion or variation a continuous stream at the full paratively cool when-the pointer is first moved to hot, the subsequent displacement of. thecold,

by the hot water will not bring about a lowering of the rod to effectmovement of the sleeve.

With either of the foregoing designs, however,

when the operator positions the pointer opposite or near medium, themember 32,,willbe ail-,-

justed to an intermediate position on the rod and the latter will causemember 32 to force the sleeve to the intermediate position with bothsets;

of ports partially open, Ifthe water in passage 23'has been hot, then asit becomes; cooler with admission of the cold vwater,the rod willraisesuiiiciently to cause the proper admixture ofthe Water in, accordancewith the setting of the pointer In the same manner should the water inthe passage have been colder than that for which the pointer is set, theincoming hot water will cause a lowering of the rod'. and the conse'-quent like adjustment of the inlets.

-It,wil l be evident that should the ressure or' the temperature ineither of the water inlets vary from the normal, the increase ordecrease in the amount or temperature of the water then admitted in thepassage will cause a corresponding raising or-lowering of the rodand' anadjustment in the positioning of the sleeve to compensate the abnormalor subnormal pressure or temperature. For example, should the pressureof the hotiwater increase, the resultant lowering of the rod would causea proportionate decrease in the extent of registration of the hot waterports and an increase in the amount of registration of thefcoldwaterports, thus still affording a water dischargefrom the unit in strictaccordance with the temperature indicated; on the dial. In the sameway,should the pressure of the cold water increase, theadditionalamount ofcold water admittedto the passage will cause a contraction of theI'thermostatic element and the consequent elevation of the sleeve.

It is believed that theconstruction andopera tion of the unit of myinvention, tand-its effective accomplishment of the objects hereinbeforere: ferred to, will now be clear. I i

I claim: p I 1 1. In a device of the character described, .a mix-'ing'chamber portion with separate inlets for admitting relatively hotand cold fluids to the cha n ber portion, a valve unit in said chamberportion displaceable to decrease the now from one inlet andautomatically and correspondingly increase the flow from the other, achamber portion into which the liquid from the first chamber portionempties, a perforated partition separating said chamber portions,manually controlled means to move said valve unit to its differentdisplaceable positions, a tubular thermostatic element fixed at one endthereof to said partition and extending into said second chamberportion, a rod secured to the other end of said element and extendingcentrally therethrough and through said partition and connected to saidvalve unit and operative on variation of the temperature in said chamberportion to move said means to displace said valve unit.

2. In a device of the character described, a mixing chamber portion withseparate inlets for admitting relatively hot and cold fluids to thechamber portion, a sleeve fixed in said chamber portion having openingsregistering with said inlets, a sleeve mounted for reciprocation in saidfirst sleeve and provided with openings registering with said firstopenings and displaceable to decrease the flow from one inlet andautomatically and correspondingly increase the flow from the other, achamber portion into which the liquid from the first chamber portionempties, a perforated partition separating saidchamber portions, ahollow supporting post secured to said partition and extending into saidfirst chamber, arms pivoted tosaid post and engaging for displacing saidsecond sleeve to each of its different positions, a tubular thermostaticelement secured at one end to said partition and extending into saidsecond chamber portion, a rod secured adjacent one end to the other endof said element and extending centrally therethrough and through saidpartition and said post, a member threaded on the other end of said rodand engaging said arms, and a manually operable means engaging androtating said member to actuate said arms and sleeve independent of thethermostatic element.

GEORGE E. AMES.

